Parts of Speech in Word-Based Sentence Completions

Help Questions

ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning › Parts of Speech in Word-Based Sentence Completions

Questions 1 - 10
1

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence.

My grandfather lost an arm in the war, but despite missing a __________, he was easily the best golfer in our family.

limb

sole

skeleton

nose

brain

Explanation

“Limb” is a name given to arms and legs. To further help you, "sole" is the name of the bottom of your feet; "skeleton" is the collection of bones that make up a body.

2

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence.

My grandfather lost an arm in the war, but despite missing a __________, he was easily the best golfer in our family.

limb

sole

skeleton

nose

brain

Explanation

“Limb” is a name given to arms and legs. To further help you, "sole" is the name of the bottom of your feet; "skeleton" is the collection of bones that make up a body.

3

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The fruit was rotten so I had to __________ it.

discard

announce

ponder

haul

annihilate

Explanation

If food was "rotten" (spoiled, no longer edible) then it makes sense that the speaker would have to throw it away. The correct answer then is "discard" which means throw away, get rid of. Additionally, "haul" means carry or transport over long distances; "announce" means say publicly; "annihilate" means completely destroy; "ponder" means think about.

4

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The fruit was rotten so I had to __________ it.

discard

announce

ponder

haul

annihilate

Explanation

If food was "rotten" (spoiled, no longer edible) then it makes sense that the speaker would have to throw it away. The correct answer then is "discard" which means throw away, get rid of. Additionally, "haul" means carry or transport over long distances; "announce" means say publicly; "annihilate" means completely destroy; "ponder" means think about.

5

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

The speech, which lasted for nearly two hours, was very __________.

wordy

lame

intense

hilarious

complimentary

Explanation

A speech that is nearly two hours long would contain a lot of words, so one could accurately describe it as being "wordy," which means long or containing a lot of words and is used to describe written works or speeches.

6

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Maria ran back into her house to get her umbrella when she noticed the sky looked ___________.

gloomy

bright

hot

sunny

Explanation

The correct answer is "gloomy." "Gloomy" means dark or dismal, so when describing the sky, it can mean that it looks like it is going to rain. "Bright" and "sunny" are opposites of the correct answer, and "hot" does not make sense in this sentence.

7

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Frogs can live on land as well as in water, which makes them ___________.

Amphibious

Ambidextrous

Versatile

Aquatic

Mammals

Explanation

Animals that are amphibious can inhabit land and water. Therefore the best answer choice here is amphibious.

The only other answer choice that might work is versatile, yet that is not specific enough here, and therefore not the best answer choice.

8

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The new statue was quite __________, drawing the attention of almost everyone who walked through the park.

intriguing

massive

expensive

profound

determined

Explanation

All that we know about the statue is that it is drawing people's attention. It might have been very "expensive," or it might have been very large ("massive"); however, we just don't know those details. All that we know is that the statue seems to be very interesting. When something is "intriguing," it draws attention and interest. Among the options provided, the word "intriguing" is the only one that expresses this general idea of being interesting.

9

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

In contrast with her very ___________ sister, Regina always created plans for her day and followed them carefully.

impulsive

experienced

youthful

irrational

intense

Explanation

This sentence clearly is contrasting Regina and her sister. Regina is a careful planner who seems to set out to do exactly what she plans. From what we can tell, she does not deviate from these plans. A person who is impulsive is just the opposite of this. He or she follows his or her impulses (wishes or desires), often going from one thing to the next without much explanation. Now, this can seem to be irrational, but these two words are not quite the same. An irrational person can also be someone who just can't "think straight" because he or she is angry. An impulsive person is a closer contrast to Regina's personality.

10

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The new statue was quite __________, drawing the attention of almost everyone who walked through the park.

intriguing

massive

expensive

profound

determined

Explanation

All that we know about the statue is that it is drawing people's attention. It might have been very "expensive," or it might have been very large ("massive"); however, we just don't know those details. All that we know is that the statue seems to be very interesting. When something is "intriguing," it draws attention and interest. Among the options provided, the word "intriguing" is the only one that expresses this general idea of being interesting.

Page 1 of 100
Return to subject